Method of treating flour.



than with the same amount of flour not propriate modifications,

"secure a maximum rubbing action and 'mlnimum grinding action.- The rubbing WILLIAM G. AZMKEWS,

n sans, annmn'meia or TREATING FLOUR.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Fimnnnron D. LARABEE, a; citizen of the United States, residing in Hutchi'fisoiifin the county'of Reno and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Treating Flour, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a method of treating flour whereby ,to increase its absorptive quality, to increase its digestibility, and toenable a whiter baked product to be made from the flour. As an incidentto the method, a more loaves of bread per barrel can be made with flour treated according to my method so treated.

The method consists in treating ordinary flour in such manner as to rupture, bruise, or otherwise impair the integrity of the starch cells so asto render-them permeable and accessible to the action of moisture.

The method is effected by passing ordinary flour between rotating plates, burs, or rolls, of hard material, and further'reducing it to such an extent that the cellulose walls of the starch cells are broken down.

This method may be practised, with apas a continuation of. the ordinary milling process, wherein, by a system of gradual reduction, the edible portion of the wheat berry is reduced to the granular consistency. of flour; but,'I prefer to practice my method as a separate part of the milling operation, to the extent, at least, of employing disk-grinders,or mills, in place of rolls. In these disk-grinders the grinding members are of metal in the form of disks, having their opposing faces suitably ridgedto afford grinding surfaces. Such mills are comparable in many'respeets to the old stone bur mill; but they are not employed-in modem"fmills, so far as I am aware, for the grinding of wheat to flour, I have found, however, that by their use I can a action is sutficient by pressure and friction to breakdown the starch cells, but it does not materially further reduce the granule-v tion of the flour. Theinvention, nevertheless, is'not limited to the use of such disk mills; but where other grinding members Specification of Letters fawn. Application and July '11, 1913-. S'erial 1%. 77am:

' dough does not lose,

'for, while the water PatentedApm20, i915} are employed, such as rolls, I would'so reg-u late their difier'enti'al speed as in all cases to procure substantially a rubbing, as distinguished. from a grinding or reducing, action.

The rupturing of the starch oellul ose'walls allows water, when mixed with the Hour", to come in direct contact with the amylose material in the interior of the starch cell. This'material'h'asa strong afiinit'y for water, and when flour isjtreat'ed as above it causes the flour to absorb more water with the result that a given amount of flour will make more dough than the same amount of flour that has not been" so treated Since the in baking, more moisture than the ordinary dough, a barrel of flour so treat d willfmake more loaves of bakedi'bread' than a like amount of flour not so treated; and every loaf made from the treated flour will be approximately of the same weight, texture and volume as if made from the untreated Hour, and will remain moist longer.

As is well-known,- the starch content oi ordinary wheat flour is very nearly indigestibl'e by reason of the fact that it is inclosed in a shell of cellulos'e which is, to a large extent, impermeable to moisture of any kind.

By breaking down these cellulose walls of mean that the water content of the dough or bread is greater than that which would obtain with flour not treatedby my method; 7

content is increased, this is due to the fact that more material has been offered to the action of the water. In other words, in ordinary flour a certain proportion is unacted upon by moisture and is practically inert material. By my method this portion of the flour is caused to be acted on by the water in the same way as every is rendered valuable as a tion of the flour other particle of the flour, and such portion food constituent of the flour;

Asa further advantage'of my method I find that it makes the flour Whiter, and bread made from such flour will accordingly be whiter in color than bread made from the ordinary flour.

By referring in the specification to the further reduction of the fiour, I wish it understood that I do not thereby mean merely grinding the flour finer. fineas practicable for commercial use will still show, when mixed with water and viewed through a microscope, its starch cells unimpaired. To further grind this flour, that is to make it, to any material extent, of a still finer granulation, would be impracticable, The reduction I refer to, therefore, is such a reduction as will not, to any material extent, further reduce the granulation of the flour, but will, owing to the different character of mechanical that used in granulating the flour, act to disintegrate or tear apart the starch cells without materially affecting the granulaproper.

I claim:

1. The method of treating ordinary flour which consists in further mechanically acting upon the same in the dry state to break down the starch cells thereof.

2. The method of'treating ordinary flour which consists in further mechanically acting upon the same in the dry state to break Flour ground as as the product would be unsalable.

action employed from' 1,1se,ss1

' 4. The herein described method which consists in reducing wheat to flour, and then mechanically breaking down the starch cells of the dry flour without materially affecting the granulation thereof.

5. The method of treating flour which .consists in subjecting the same in the dry state to mechanical reducing agents yielding a maximum rubbing and a minimum grinding action, whereby to break down the starch cells without materiallyaflecting the granulation of the flour.

6. The method of treating ordinary flour which consists. in further acting upon the same in the dry state by mechanical pressure to break down the starch cells thereof.

7. The method of treating ordinary flour which consists in further acting upon the same in the dry state by mechanically disrupting the starch cells thereof with the accompaniment of pressure.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK D. LARABEE.

- Witnesses:

BRUCE S. ELLIOTT, STELLA HILL. 

